Friday, 8 March 2013

Another joint engagement has been scheduled for the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge. On March 19th Their Royal Highnesses will visit the offices of Child Bereavement UK which are based at The Clare Charity Centre in Saunderton, South Bucks. Prince William has been patron of the charity since March 2009.

Rebecca English Twitter

Child Bereavement UK educates professionals and supports families when a baby or child dies or is dying, or when a child is facing bereavement. Every year the charity delivers training to around five thousand professionals at the front line of bereavement support. William and Kate will meet staff and families involved in the Children and Young People's Services, the Young People's Advisory Group and Parents' Support Group.

Child Bereavement UK

William and Kate attended a gala in October 2011 where they were guests of honour at 100 Women In Hedge Funds. The event raised £675,000 for the charity and I hope this impending visit raises much needed awareness and gives the Duke and Duchess an insight into the invaluable work and services provided by Child Bereavement UK.

It will be the couple's second engagement within two days as they are scheduled to attend a St. Patrick's Day parade at Mons Barracks, Aldershot on March 17th.

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Kate's visit to Grimsby made the headlines over reports the Duchess has allegedly revealed the sex of her baby. An onlooker reported Kate was handed a teddy bear and said "Is it for my d..." prompting speculation she stopped herself before saying 'daughter'.

Todays Papers

This Is Grimsby has obtained footage captured by royalist Lisa Hewson outside the Fishing Heritage Centre which shows Kate accepting the teddy bear from Diane Burton, saying "Oh, is that for us? Thank you very much, that is very sweet of you'.

Insurance worker Lisa Hewson said:

'Kate does such a good job and people are always picking and pulling her apart. If you know something isn't true and it is causing trouble, you have to do the right thing, and, hopefully, that is what I am doing here. I hope Kate may see this and thinks there are some decent people who want the best for her.'

Tweeter Billy Walsh was walking through Kensington Park on Tuesday evening when he saw Kate's helicopter landing and the Duchess exiting and returning to Kensington Palace.

Billy Walsh Twitter

He kindly shared a photo from the surprise sighting.

Billy Walsh Twitter

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Kate was spotted shopping in Séraphine's Peter Jones concession yesterday. She was looking at their maternity tights, leggings and the stylish Brooke Dress. The V-neck, short sleeve dress would be a lovely choice for the Duchess especially for engagements. We discussed the brand before in our maternity wear possibilities post, I think their pieces are very much in keeping with Kate's style.

Séraphine

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In other fashion related news, Kate's Great Plains 'Cezanne' Paintbox Pleated Dress is currently back in stock in three different colourways including winter pink. Despite the interesting and demand the dress is still available at sale reduced from £75 to £48. If you're planning to purchase the dress I wouldn't wait too long because I expect it will sell out again quite quickly as so many of Kate's pieces do!

Finally, Prince Charles made a guest appearance on BBC's rural programme Countryfile and when asked how he feels about becoming a grandfather he said, "I look forward enormously to that relationship with a grandchild." And we all look forward to seeing the Prince with his first grandchild :)

77 comments:

Thank you for the great post. There is a question that is bugging me for a while. I read on an American benign site that Kate has a wiglet, I have never read here and I wonder what you think??It is still incredible for me how people are jumping on whatever she does or doesn't do. If she has no engagements that is the problem if she has then that. I hope she doesn't read tabloids. I don't want to hurt American people feeelings but they are vicious towards her. Simply I don't get why. What do you think? Anett

Anett, I have to agree with Charlotte. The tabloids are vicious towards anyone they can make money off of. Such a waste of time and money. There are decent magazines here in the US that have positive things to say. For the most part, Americans love the Royal family and adore Will and Kate (definitely not speaking for all...don't want to stir anyone up). I have a small circle here that are crazy over all things Royal! :) I wouldn't pay much attention to it. All boils down to money which is pitiful. On a positive note.... I went to Barnes and Noble yesterday and picked up the latest copy of Hello! It the one Harry and his new fling skiing along with Kate and her day at Hope House! Loved reading that last night!

I am not sure if you mean Americans in general or American tabloids are vicious- anyway generalizing based on one website is a bit unfair to the many readers of this blog who are American and adore Kate. Personally, I am not finding a viciousness about Kate in the US media or on the part of my countrymen that I chat with about all things royal. A wiglet is just a hair piece so saying she was wearing one seems rather benign.

To be honest, at times, read a bit of cattiness in some of the Daily Mail articles and comments to the articles regarding Kate and her family. That doesn't lead me to believe at all people in the UK think that way. The media has their agenda and they want to create controversy because it gets the public talking. They use exaggeration, innuendoes, half truths, compromising pictures, misquotations, etc to illicit responses. People can choose to look at the facts, give the benefit of the doubt or believe it whole hardedly.

Just like on this blog - if someone doesn't like the color of Kate's dress or hairstyle does not equate to being a Kate hater. It's just an opinion. Probably not necessary to read more into it.

I make myself more clear. Tabloids are tabloids. What I really wanted to say that there are sites where people only leave negative comments about her and yes not just in America and inly a few + ones. I will not write again the name of the site bec.they are pathetic, but when I complained about being unfair they simply did not publish my comment. This was when I got frustrated.Anett

All right, weighing in. Look at the photos of her hair pre engagement and post engagement. The difference is quite noticeable. Also, I've seen a photo where you could actually see the line of the piece where it was stiched in. If I can find it again, I'll post the URL. Also, if you look at the photos from the trip to Grimsby there are a few where it looks quit obvious.

OK, I do not care if she wears a wiglet. If she wants to make her hair look thicker for events, that's fine with me. I just don't know why it's such a big deal.

What a brilliant video that shows the Duchess didn't talk about a daughter ! And I especially find it shows how well she interacts with the people. She recognized someone's "uniform", whatever it was, and it just shows how she engages with the crowds in a very sensitive and kind manner. Lovely to watch...Someone from the visit was disappointed because she had waited for hours and the Duchess just waved as she got out of the car. I truly understand the person was annoyed, but it is rather unfair. Kate doesn't decide when or to whom she can walk up to. Everything is decided by the protection officers and her staff, so that the visit runs smoothly. She is not responsible for that. It is just bad luck to be on that side.

Dear Charlotte,As a born and bred Parisian, I have a tendency to see the bad side of the city : bad-tempered Parisians, bad traffic and so on... I do agree the architecture is beautiful, as it wasn't bombed during the Second World War thanks to a German general who didn't obey Hitler's order to blow up the city. And there are some very lovely places, of course.As I have once already said, if you and your boyfriend come back, I would love to take you out to lunch or dinner ! So fix a date ;-)

Theresa, I thought I remembered your history tidbit from when we were in France. My grandfather fought on Omaha Beach during the Normandy invasion. It was on my bucket list to go and see and honor him for his service on that horrible, yet amazing day. Our tour guide shared that information with us. Paris is a beautiful place to visit. My husband absolutely loves it! I joke with him that he doesn't love it for the beauty and architecture, but for all the wonderful bakeries! Charlotte, I hope you get to take her up on the lovely dinner offer!

Thank you Charlotte for the new information. Must say when I listened to the previous video I could not make out any mention of "D".I do think it is rather impolite to ask people personal questions about their pregnancy. After all you would not ask someone just met in the street those sort of questions would you,so why ask them of the Duchess?Looks as though presenting shamrock to the Irish Guards on St Patrick's Day has been inherited by Catherine---lost count of how many years the Queen Mum did it, but it continued until not long before she died. Quite a thought isn't it? The photograph of the Duchess arriving home on Tuesday seems to be at dusk--at a guess about 6pm-so she certainly did not cut short the visit to Grimsby.

Jean, I would guess it was roughly 6 p.m. because the man who shared the tweet was walking home from work. On another note, it's lovely to see Kate carrying on a tradition the Queen Mother took such pride in.

I have wondered the same thing. William seems to be really working hard and racking up many flying hours the past few weeks. I wonder if Kate has had a chance to be with him at all in Anglesey? Seems lately that he is on duty and she is in London. I do hope he is getting to experience and enjoy the pregnancy with Kate. Such a fun and exciting time to have together! Charlotte, isn't his 3 year stint up in summer? I would think something would be announced soon??? What are your thoughts?

@Kate from Texas- I was wondering the samething. This is a very exciting time in their lives and I would not want William to miss out on all that is going on with his beautiful wife and their growing unborn child. I wonder if the Duchess does go to Anglesey for a few days when William is off. Or if she does not I am sure he comes to London. I can not see them spending Williams days of apart. It is just hard for me to understand why she is not with him now that she is feeling alot better.

I think there are two reasons she is spending a lot of time in London. First, staying in London keeps her close to her doctor and the hospital (of choice...we all have one) and there must be a lot of work involved in moving to the new apartment in KP. But I'm sure William travels to see her as much as his work schedule allows.

Hello!Must be so annoying for Catherine when people claim she said/did something she didn't! I don't understand why those women said they had a conversation with the Duchess that actually have never happened. I'm glad someone did the right thing...Anxious for the next engagements!Best wishes of a sweet weekend :)

I am not quite sure what 'rumours' you are trying to clarify. The Daily Mail actually showed the Sky News report where the duchess said the bear was for her d... before she stopped herself. Good to see that the Duke and Duchess are doing an engagement for Bereavement UK.

GO LISA HEWSON! I'm so glad someone said exactly what/how I've been feeling about all this. Kates so wonderful and I hope she knows that her true fan/followers only want whats genuinely best for her. :)

Thanks for the update! The "D-" story was plastered all over our news in the States, but I hadn't seen anything about new video. From the footage I had seen, I couldn't hear a "d" sound and it certainly didn't look like her mouth was forming that letter either. Nice to see better footage than the media's grainy, overhead shots. And that red gown...one of my favorites!

I watched the video that you so kindly shared the link for and the biggest thing that I'm taking away from it is not the fact that Kate did not "give anything away" (I never thought that she did in the first place) but I'm amazed at how well and professionally she worked that crowd. I fully understand that she has had immense training for that type of situation but that does not change how impressed I am. Yes, it was a short clip, but I detected no amount of falseness or lack of sincerity and it genuinely appeared that she takes her role very seriously. Sometimes I get so caught up in what she's wearing that I forget why she's out in public in the first place! (And that's why a site like this and What Kate Wore are so awesome - you ladies include information on the background and the "cause" so effectively!) Thank You!

I always think it must be so incredibly nerve wracking to step out of a car and greet a crowd and I do think Kate does it with a great deal of professionalism and friendliness.

It's so important to discuss the causes and the lovely Susan from What Kate Wore does a *stellar* job of combining fashion with background information, something people are (thankfully) very interested in.

Almost forgot---for all the Mums here, happy Mother's Day for Sunday.I know our American friends do not share the same date, but we can still share ours.Mothering Sunday on Mid Lent Sunday goes back centuries, when maid servants were allowed to visit their mothers and take them a simnel cake.

Jean, I hope you had a lovely Mother's Day. Thanks for sharing your date. We'll share ours with our UK friends in May! I definitely think moms are worth celebrating on two special days! Have a wonderful start to your week!

Great post! I love that video, its th1st q time I got to see Catherine in action and I think she was great! I really wish we get to see more videos if her talking to the crowd. BTW this is my favorite Kate Middleton blog. You are always so fast too post anything regarding Catherine.

Hello Ms. Charlotte- Thanks for another great post about our beautiful Duchess. I was just reading Hello online and they said that William & his Duchess has an joint engagement on March 14th. Do you know anything about this one? It is for I beleive they said Action for Aduction.

I'm startled to hear Americans getting blamed for not liking Kate and for their press being "vicious". Some of the strongest Kate supporters on this blog are Americans. Tabloid papers are not common in the US and the gossip magazines don't do much but spread the usual garbage already published in Britain. (Some of those magazines have British versions.) Hello! which is always kind to Kate is hugely popular among her Americans fans when they can get it. Unlike Diana, Kate has yet to establish a strong identity and a lot of Americans are more indifferent than anyhing else. The cruelest remarks seem mostly to come from British republicans.

I've noticed on this blog that almost all participants really like Kate but some feel she can do no wrong, some think she is doing her best, and some think she could do more. These issues can be raised and discussed. Unfortunately, participants are often called haters, whch is ridiculous since almost none of the printed remarks have expressed hateful or republicans views. I've noticed these differences seem to have nothing to do with nationality. Varying opinions have been raised from all over the world.

I don't like to ask for apologies but I think Anett should read remarks from Kate from Texas, the couple from Tennessee and many others, particularly my fellow Californian Pauline. She might rethink her remarks!

Thank you for the lovely post Charlotte! Kate has had engagements the past two years on my birthday, but not this year so your post was a great surprise!

I remember in March 2009 when William became royal patron and made a speech for Child Bereavement Charity for their Mother's Day campaign. If you haven't seen it, it's on You Tube. So heartbreaking and sincere. Brought tears to my eyes. He truly understands what these young people experience and I think it's a fabulous charity for him to be patron of. I know they will definitely help bring the awareness to this worthy cause. Also happy that William has Kate now to celebrate this Mother's Day....her first Mother's Day! I will be looking forward to the 19th!

Thanks for posting the video also. I saw it on another website and decided as you stated that the sex was not revealed. Guess we have another 4 1/2 months to wait and see! Kudos to Lisa for making the video available!I think the video also shows what a natural Kate is. She definitely has her critics, but I think you nailed it when you said she does her walkabouts with friendliness and professionalism. She just seems like a really kind and beautiful person inside and out. It's got to be a daunting task to meet so many people, create conversation, and calm their nerves during conversation. In my opinion she has done an outstanding job and this video shows that!

Loved the Brooke dress! It will be a great piece in her maternity wardrobe! The style is that it can go dressy or casual and looks really comfortable. :)

Thanks again for the post! Looking forward to another possible sighting, but definitely the engagements on the 17th and 19th! Have a wonderful and relaxing weekend!

Oh I dint get the d word at all! Like it said in the article, it was a mad 5 minutes and anything heard could be easily misconstrued. That was a lovely video though, Kate has come a long way in her public appearances:) cant wait for the next public appearance by Will and Kate! Thank you Charlotte!xoxo

Of course she and her people would have to cover up even if she really had done it...I don't really care. I think a baby girl would be awfully cute. Wish the couple and the new born happy and healthy. :)

Okay I'm not a Doctor so What is the month that you can even accurately get a reading (ultra sound) of the baby's sex? Crazy how out of hand things can get. I certainly didn't hear the word daughter mentioned on the video. Still hoping for a baby boy but, I'm very out numbered. Crazy busy so "hi " to all Duchess Fans !Hi Charlotte :) wish I could see London :( not this year. Flying back to Charleston SC for our son's graduation :)

Sarah, we were going through some genetic testing with my second and had a blood test at 8 weeks that showed girl. It was very expensive, but our insurance covered it. As far as the others....1st found out at 18 weeks, 3rd - 16 weeks, and 4th - 16 weeks. All were accurate, but I knew every time in my heart once I took the pregnancy test and was right with all 4! With the high tech ultrasound technology and Kate's excellent pre-natal care, they could know now if they wanted.

I am kinda hoping for a boy also. The Queen needs a great-grandson. :) William and Catherine would be wonderful parents to the future Elizabeth III too! William with be an excellent father to either girl or boy, but don't you know a little princess would have him wrapped around her little finger...and I think Prince Charles' finger too! I go back and forth thinking boy or girl. I suppose once the bump gets bigger speculation will start by how she is carrying the baby. July is just around the corner and we'll all know soon enough!

Congrats on your son's graduation! We need to start planning the Duchess Kate picnic in Kensington Gardens. THAT's when you need to make your trip across the pond!!! Have a wonderful Saturday!

Kate, technology gets better and better, for the most part. Seems like we had to wait until the 5 th month when my kids were little to find out about the sex of the baby. I wanted to be surprised with my first, second one I wanted to know and third I wanted to be surprised again.A picnic in Kensington Garden sounds great :) have a wonderful week!

How wonderful that Kate did not make a slip, that it was only media manipulation! Only! I really wonder how much we can believe if the mainstream media would go so far as to do something like this. I hope it was also wrong that bookies were paying off based on this. Sometimes I think that the world has gone cattywampus.

Well i dont think the duchess is giving information on her royal heir the people giving some many option about she said about it she said thank you to the lady that giving her teddy bear im hoping for more joint official enagement Happy women day too im rest hour so go here to visit wonderful blog

Thank you again Charlotte for another wonderful post full of background information as well as Catherine's fashion :) Even though I'm in the U.S. I am REALLY considering buying the dress and paying the shipping costs! I love the style and the colors. I am so glad that someone had a video to clarify the rumor. The sex of their baby should only be known to us when they decide to tell us so it just isn't fair for the papers to claim we now know, especially since it was a supposed "slip-up". I'm sure the DoC is grateful for the lady who released the video! Also, I have noticed that Catherine's hair color looks very much as it did during her pre-engagement days. Do you think because she is pregnant she has decided to not color it at the moment? I've always wondered which shade of brunette was her natural color and I wonder if we are seeing it now? Her hair still looks beautiful (I like it straighter) but the color doesn't seem as "rich". Just curious as to what you all think? I can't wait to see them out and about so soon although I can imagine the Child Bereavement UK visit will be a hard one, especially with them now expecting.

I'm not sure her hair is coloured? Perhaps seemed darker at her wedding, I've always liked her pre wedding hair and on the Canadian tour, so not a fan of the sausage curls, very frumpy. I have to say I can't hear the 'd' or the 'us' in either video.

Really confusing about the video. I never could hear the "d" but the dialogue doesn't sound the same as in that second video. Can't imagine the press went and doctored it. And the poor woman who thought she heard it orginally has been hounded and is terribly upset. An unfortunate situation but it actually did bring a lot of publicity to the Grimsby visit, just not the best kind.

So glad to see the royal couple involved in Child Bereavment. An extremely important charity. And it will be great to have tthe engagement with the Irish Guards. Understand they have a new wolfhound. The one Kate petted last year has been retired.

I think the Child Bereavement group is such an ideal choice. I'd never heard of until now, but have been reading up on it and plan to follow it as "my" charity because I was so upset about Diana's death and the pain it caused her sons.

I am also going to try to focus more on what Kate and Will do for the good of the people rather than just rave about Kate's poise and beauty. She is a beautiful woman, but it IS an inside as well as outside beauty.

Sorry off topic here, just had a romantic get away with hubby! No cameras I'm blessed.Now watching Andrea Bocelli in Portafino (is that Italy or France ?) and his sweetheart singing together. Oh very romantic (the music is a great song for a Rumba., sensuous, slow and beautiful.) Talk about off topic!Cheers to all young lover's and old! If you don't have a lover, Life is Good !!!!!!Can't wait to see the new Wolfhound. Voted in the top ten of Best Dogs recently.I fell in love with them after Robin Hood Prince of Thieves.We saw the new Wizard of Oz movie. A lot of fun, great for the family, lots of older people there and young couples.

Hope you had a wonderful and relaxing time! You'll laugh, but when I was young I used to tell everyone my husband was going to buy me a summer home in Carmel! That hasn't happened yet, but's here's to dreaming...LOL!!!

I saw a little bit of the concert on tv here a few nights ago. I wondered the same thing....Italy or France? I did get a short dance with my oldest son before he got embarrassed, so I was happy!

Ha ha I tried so hard to get my boys to love dancing. To no avail. Maybe they will want help when they get married for a waltz. My husband and I did Ballroom dancing for about 6 years ! It was a blast! Now we've got a bit lazy. Ugh. Generally speaking they are all hunters and Yes Carmel is beautiful !!! It's funny because on the grand scale of things it's really small. I am working with a young boy who has three inoperable brain tumors. He is loosing his hearing and slowly the loss off limbs. His dad was killed by gang members and mom is in rehab.for drug addiction. I have never had to work with this kind of situation and know it is going to be heart breaking, but I'm going to give him my all.

Robin Indiana USAHi Charlotte thanks for the great post. I want to wish all the mums in the UK Happy Mother's Day Sunday. Such a special day hope William and Catherine have a lovely day and their secret is safe until they are ready to tell the world on their terms. So happy that they are taking on the cause of Child Bereavement it is so needed. When a child dies nobody has any idea what to say. I know I lost my precious son Cameron Michael at 15mo. The time you need friends they all run away. Looking forward to St. Patricks Day, I loved what the Duchess wore last year and this year will be special William will join her. Goodnight and sweet dream to all my friends around the world. Robin

Robin, thank you for sharing about your sweet Cameron. I cannot imagine losing a child or being a child and losing a parent, so I to think Child Bereavement is a fantastic charity and cause for William and Kate to be involved with. Wish I could pop up to Indiana to give you a hug, but know you are in my prayers. Many hugs to you!

I'm so sorry, Robin, about your dear Cameron. <3 Having lost my three-year-old grandson, Kyle, I have an understanding of how you feel. Charities like Child Bereavement are so necessary, and William & Catherine's visit will shine on light on it. My prayer is that it helps many, many people during what is one of the worst time of their lives.

Robin my sincerest condolences. I cannot imagine anything worse than losing a child, it must be unimaginably painful. I so agree charities like Child Bereavement UK need all the help they can get to support parents and children throughout such a difficult time.

On another note, apologies for my absence over the past couple of days everyone. I've been working on an exciting project I'll be sharing with you all next month. I hope you all had a great Mother's Day, I spent mine with my own mother and it's great day to show how much we all love our mother's :)

Hello 'Duchess Kate', A great blog, very informative and delightfully written! Many thanks for the news of the video which disputes the rumours about Kate revealing that the baby is a girl; I hadn't read that anywhere else. The video does not seem to be available on the Grimsby link you provided any longer, but I found it on 'Youtube'. As people have commented, the audio is very good, lovely to hear what Kate says to the people. There is another good one on 'Youtube' like this, she and William are meeting the general public in Canada. I 'clicked' on the link to see the Sky Video, (in which Kate is supposed to say the 'D' word) but couldn't access it, my pc closed the link for security/safety. I also like the photos that you publish that show Kate on her days off; in the park, shopping etc. Seems that UK newspapers don't generally want to print these.It's strange that these photos are widely available in publications outside the UK.

As a British person it makes me mad to know that the rest of the world can c publications they we in the uk ate not privvy too despite it being r royal family and we help fund them!! The uk press r scared to publish these pics so they do not fall out of favour with the palace and then do not get invited to engagements or special photo sessions. Lack if freedom of speech in the uk press , just not right. People are getting fed up with this manipulation and the public private thing. Amy Glasgow

Someone wrote earlier (I'd scroll up for their name but it's so slow to do this) that they didn't think that Kate was colouring her hair any longer. I definitely think that she is. When she visited the Addition Centre last month, I think that I could see her darker natural roots in the photos. It looks as though it has been recoloured since that time. The reader also commented that Kate's hair looked darker at her wedding; I'd definitely agree with that. Strangely, it appeared to me to be lighter for the reception, (Kate was pictured leaving Clarence House wearing a white dress with thick diamante belt) perhaps another colour was put in. Interesting that she chose to have it so darkly-coloured for the wedding, perhaps to emphasize the whiteness of the dress/as a contrast?

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